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Saturday, 31 May 2008

My desire to own bespoke clothing and accessories is well documented on the blog. There seems to be a reinvention of 'bespoke' on the high street (really we all know that it is made to measure marketed as bespoke) for the greater market, making it cheaper and much more accessible in the process. One of the most well known "new bespoke" service is NikeiD, which as we know allows trainer fans to choose from more than 54 different shoe styles and an almost limitless catalogue of colours, materials and fittings to create their own ideal pair.

However, I have recently stumbled across the news that my Nan's favourite store has now entered the market. That's right, Marks & Spencer is offering a new bespoke (made-to-measure) shirt service for men from as little as £30...£30! As well as a choice of 30 fabrics, there are different cuffs, collars and pockets, plus a monogrammed option. I have had limited experience with the fit of M&S shirts up until now, although I have been impressed with the resurgence of the store and in particular the Autograph range.

I forgot to mention, you can do it all online. In four simple steps a user is able to design the perfect shirt made-to-measure just for them. You can customize as many or as few features as you wish. All you need to do is have your height, weight and collar size measurements to hand. M&S's biometric technology will do the rest, resulting in a perfect fit and are delivered within 21 days of placing the order (or so they claim - I am a little disturbed that they didn't take any more measurements, like chest, arm, waist...)

My choice is above. I went for a luxurious white poplin, with a round colour, monogrammed hem and of course a tailored fit. I will update you in 21 days once the shirt is delivered. I have no idea what to expect to be honest.

Thursday, 29 May 2008

EJ passed an interesting article featured in the Times and it got me thinking (I've subsequently seen the article featured on Getkempt and the delightful The Sunday Best). The articles concern was whether or not the gentleman in 21st-century Britain is a dying breed, literally and figuratively. If it is indeed an endangered species, is this because the very notion is anachronistic, a product of a bygone age that has no great relevance in today's society? Quite possibly. Dunhill's director of brand imagery (man I wish I had a title like that), Yann Debelle de Montby somewhat vaguely describes a true gentleman as someone who is “gallant and generous. One can be gentle but remain firm, determined and retain a great sense of humour.” Since the Victorian era the the word "gentleman" came in common use to signify not a distinction of blood (as it had done previously) but a distinction of position, education and manners. I certainly think that paragons of good manners, dignity and charm are increasingly rare in 21st-century Britain and that is a sad thing.

Are these chaps a dying breed? They certainly are trying hard...me thinks a little too hard

As this is a men's style blog, let's get down to what really matters...the clothes! Throughout history one of the most obvious ways to detect a gentlemen was the way they were dressed. However, in recent years the gentleman's uniform of well cut pressed suit, polished shoes, groomed hair and freshly shaven appearance have been abandoned. Men can no longer doff the hat to the ladies they see because...well men just don't wear hats anymore!

“It is ungentlemanly to even refer to oneself as one [a gentleman],” Fergus Henderson

The article describes a new breed of gentleman like restaurateur Fergus Henderson (as shown above) who wears everything from overals, classic suits to jeans. If the modern gentleman does still exist he is certainly much more difficult to pick out in a crowd!

If you want to be modern gentleman, the articles gave 10 pointers...I need to work on a couple...EJ will tell you I need to take note of point number 2!

How to be a (modern) gentleman

1. Some things don't change: say please and thank you and ask questions about other people rather than talk about yourself.

2. Be punctual. Tardiness does not make you look important, it turns you into an arrogant incompetent who thinks that his time is more important than other people's.

3. The modern gentleman cares about the planet. Be environmentally aware (but not obnoxious about it).

4. Open doors for people and stand up when they enter a room, but do this for men as well as women. The modern gentleman doesn't treat women like porcelain.

5. Be modest. Bragging is distinctly ungentlemanly.

6. Be a good father. Nothing is less charming than a man who leaves childcare to women.

7. Be honest about wherever you have come from in life. Pretension is spineless.

8. Flirt - with everyone. Good flirting is a form of politeness. Pay compliments and put your companion at ease.

Ok, ok, so maybe Puma DO do some pretty nice trainers after all. I read about this new collaboration via the ever lovely Sneaker Freaker (I have to avoid reading too often as we already have a slightly ludicrous number of Adidas boxes in the flat housing half of my CD collection). Just to mix things up, it's a three way collaboration between Puma, trainer retailer Atmos and (here's where it gets weird) wildlife photographer Mitsuaki Iwago. Odd. Each is inspired by an endangered animal... seriously, I can't believe I'm writing this about a blinking trainer; this must be one of the oddest trainer collaborations and concepts that I've heard of in a while

They're, shall we say, variable in the style stakes. The one below, based on... well, a seal I guess, is my favourite. I love the blue base which is just see through enough to evoke the icy waters. I'm also a sucker for spots and dots of all kinds.

I quite like the penguin ones too, but can't quite work out what you'd wear them with to show them off. Short perhaps? The Ibis pair are pretty cool, but I suspect you wouldn't really be able to appreciate the delicate pattern when wearing them. Plus, I'm aware that some people just aren't that into pink. The Panda pair though? Meh. Just meh.

Tuesday, 27 May 2008

I'm worrying obsessed by this photo of Jean-Paul Sartre... or, more precisely, with the glasses in this photo of Jean-Paul Sartre. Aren't they brilliant? Such round frames seem oddly quaint, yet so modern at the same time. I also love how they look like they've been cut out of paper.

If you share my love, I've found a good collection of round-framed glasses via the marvellously named Retro Specs. If only I could get over my vanity and convince myself to give up the contact lenses...

I would love to see more men wearing truly intelligent specs like these. The large geek classes have been around for some time and show no signs of becoming less popular (at the moment anyway) but these round specs exude intellectualism. In my mind there aren't too many men more intellectual than Sartre. I could certainly see The Sunday Best sporting these...

Sunday, 25 May 2008

If you're anything like me, you spent last night watching the joy that is Eurovision. Let's not go in to the voting, but needless to say France were robbed. Oh well, just enjoy Sebastien Teller rocking a serious beard and sharp white suit.

Almost as good as last year's entry. Who ever thought wearing a cat sewn onto your collar could look so good? (warning: this song is ridiculously catchy)

I'm no where near as big a Eurovision fan as EJ but I watched the contest on Saturday, severely hungover from the previous night's exploits...and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! The acts were in the most parts enjoyable, I was however surprised by the number who sang in English despite their poor grasp of the language...and the judging was as bad as ever. Tellier was suberb even though his delivery borrowed a great deal from Jarvis Cocker...he rocked the white suit and he had the best entrance ever on a golf cart!I'm now a Eurovision convert

Thursday, 22 May 2008

“Not only did I want to do something for the guys in my life, but a lot of my girlfriends prefer to wear men’s stuff,” Sevigny told style file, “I think what they like about men’s clothes is the fit. So I don’t want to change that. It’ll be a new challenge.“

So the news is that Chloe Sevigny is designing a menswear line with women in mind for Opening Ceremony. Most interestingly the girl versions will not have different tailoring, they will just come in smaller sizes. I am intrigued and a little scared by this idea. I'm a fan of Sevigny's but I wasn't impressed with her previous effort for Opening Ceremony but she might have a better eye for menswear (I must admit that I'm far from convinced - I predict punk t shirts, washed out denim and some flannel)...If she does come up with the goods though we might be seeing a few more couples dressing alike and that is no bad thing.

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

I had some news that brightened up my otherwise slightly melancholic Wednesday and I thought that I like Stylebubble should share it with you. I very much dislike Wednesday mornings...the hump of the week...the previous weekend is a distant memory and the upcoming weekend...well doesn't seem very up and coming at all, I. Anyway, enough of my whiny ramblings, let me share with you some of the best news possible (if you live in London or close by). There is going to be one hell of a market at Dover Street Market on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. Vintage pieces from all CommedesGarçons collections between Fall Winter 2004 and Spring Summer 2007 plus Pierre Hardy, Martin Margiela, Raf Simons, Dior Homme, John Galliano, Nina Ricci, Undercover, Number (N)ine and many, many more that they've not told us about yet. This probably won't beat the Antwerp stock sales but this will certainly keep me occupied over the long Bank Holiday weekend.

I am going to get down there early both days (if I don't bankrupt myself on Sunday) and if you want to see me elbow my way to some bargains, or maybe you want to take me on, come on down!

Tuesday, 20 May 2008

Hola! (actually, I should say guten tag given the number of German visitors we're getting at the moment for reasons I can't quite discover- feel free to enlighten me dear readers!). Lovely to see you this weekend, as usual. I thought I'd mix things up today with an illustrated style icon.

I love Tintin... and not just because his hair is a bit like a hairstyle a friend of ours once had.

I love the block colours he wears (most reds and blues with accents of yellow), that brilliant coat and even those slightly bizarro trousers. I never really noticed just how weird those trousers were until I started collecting these pictures. I ADORE him in the bottom right hand picture- those shades red and blue look so good together, don't you think?

And Snowy! I don't like dogs, least of all accessory dogs, but who can resist Milou? (because I'm a bit pretentious I prefer the French version of his name).

EJx

Hey EJ!Always a pleasure to have you down in the big smoke. I think I reclaimed some of my lost masculinity with my dominant bowling performance. I love the idea of exploring illustrated style icons, this is surely only the beginning but it is a great place to start. So many kids have grown up with the Tintin stories and he is most certainly a style icon. Those trousers surely inspired Thom Browne. What I loved most about Tintin's style was his knew what styles and colours suited him and he wasn't afraid of looking a little different.

Monday, 19 May 2008

The lovely Tricia of bitsandbobbins (and of course founder of wardrobe_remix) sent us an interesting article featured in the Independent which discusses the rise of men choosing to shop online. A survey by management consultants Accenture suggests that most men (56 per cent) today prefer shopping online to the high street, and now premium fashion sites are responding. Men are coming round to the idea that there are more uses to the Internet than watching porn and Family Guy (these are still fundamental uses though).

This quote from Alastair Rae, founder of online store albamclothing sums up the reasons why succinctly so I'm just going to use it and expand on it (I've added the italics): "a significant number of men are inherently lazy when it comes to shopping for clothes. They (the lazy ones) annoyingly won't devote what little free time they have to shopping (like you can be too busy to shop!), as women may do, so being able to pick something online at 5pm and get it by lunchtime next day has an obvious appeal. And when men find something they really like, they tend to buy it over and over, so the Internet is the perfect way to do so. You know your size, you see the colour, job done." I personally loved a certain type shopping but I've always known that I was in the minority of men. Most men have a strong idea of what they want (a better word is probably need), they go into a shop that they know and feel vaguely comfortable in, pick the right size and take it to the cashier. No messing around.

The man described above is not me though. I however love strolling around Carnaby Street (Kingly Court, 22, Hurwendeki, Concrete to name a few highlights ), venturing inside Liberty and perusing rack after rack of slightly extravagant and expensiveness niceness. I feel so at home inside shops like these. The side of shopping which means consumerism inside the likes of Topman and H&M is less appealing to me. In these environments I revert back to my inner typical man, a blink and you'll miss it hunter gatherer, within seconds (depending on the size of the queue) I'm walking out with what I wanted. I don't feel anywhere near as comfortable in these blindingly bright, busy and rack muddled High Street stores. This is where the Internet goes in. I know my sizes in these places, I have a good idea of what I like and what suits me and this is where that wonderful thing the world wide web comes in. I don't need to hurt my eyes anymore, nor do I have to tidy up the racks...I can get what I want online!

Despite what the statistics suggest I know that there are men out there who love to shop in stores like this!

Of course there is the other side to Internet shopping, the designer side as well as the High Street and this side is certainly growing and becoming more and more popular. I however prefer to shop for these types of items in person, I enjoy the shopping experience that you can only really get (at the moment anyway) inside the physical store itself. That said, of course I window shop and keep and eye on a bargain on a number of sites...Luisaviaroma, Oki Ni, Matches, Browns, bstore and Oi Polloi, to name just a few of the myriad of online shopping opportunities.

How about you lot- are you shunning the High Street and shopping online instead?

Wednesday, 14 May 2008

The weekend before last I was in London and I was fortunate enough to visit the Skin+Bones exhibition on at the Embankment gallery within the beautiful Somerset House. If you find yourself in London over the summer why not venture to the exhibition, it located in one of my favourite areas of London in Summer so there really is no excuse.

Within the exhibition you can discover how over fifty internationally-renowned architects and designers including Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Commedes Garcons, YohjiYamamoto, Future Systems, Frank Gehry and ZahaHadid 'fashion' buildings and 'construct' garments. Unfortunately the exhibition does not look at menswear and this is something that I'd quite like to address on the blog.

Over the course of the coming weeks I am going to explore this intriguing relationship between these two inspiring disciplines. The relationship between fashion and architecture is a symbiotic one and throughout history clothing and buildings have echoed one another. While they have much in common they are still intrinsically different. Addressing the human scale with very different proportions, sizes and shapes. Architecture also has a more solid and monumental and permanent presence...but then again so should good quality menswear. Advances in materials and software have pushed the frontiers of both disciplines, buildings have become more fluid and garments more architectonic. Architects have adopted techniques common with dress making and tailoring, such as folding, draping, weaving and printing and fashion designers have looked to architecture for inspiration and way to build and engineer garments.

Chalayan's laser dress - Kanye must have loved this!

Which menswear designers spring to mind when you think of the fashion and architecture crossover? Hussein Chaylayan's mechanical dress and his recent laser dress are some of the best examples from the female catwalks, but of course McQueen, Boudicca, Yamamoto and Victor&Rolf have also provided great examples over the years. Over the coming weeks I will be looking at the best examples within the menswear designers but if you have any thoughts I'd love to hear them.

It is 10 years to the day since Frank Sinatra died. It is time to reach for one of his records, (posibly pour yourself a scotch - depending on what time of the day it is) think back and marvel at how stylish he was.

Oh my gosh, this makes me feel so old, I can't believe it's been a decade. Some links to help emulate the man himself:

Tuesday, 13 May 2008

Following on quite nicely from yesterdays post which looked at the older man shopping on the high street is the notion that older men dress cool. Paul Flynn wrote an interesting article in the recent issue of 10 titled 'Old men dress cool', throughout the article Flynn litters it with exceedingly good examples of the older man dressing well, the first example used is David Lynch, then of course there is the chiseled Clooney and the less obvious choices of Alan Bennett, David Hockney and Ray Winstone.

Is Lynch a prime example of a maturing man growing old stylishly?

If men do indeed improve with age (and it seems most do) then it is their duty to dress in accordance with this most fortunate biological birthright and asset, but unfortunately most men don't bother. They reach a certain age and give up, or a phenomena which is quite common...feel so pleased with themselves at a certain point in their life that they try and keep that moment alive by never deviating from how they looked at that point in their life. They become stuck in the era that defines them (my favourite film critic Mark Kermode is one of the best illustrations that I can think off...Peter Stringfellow is a far worse (as in repulsive) example). These men are missing out though.

A masterclass of matching styles on the Sartorialist

There is little more appealing than a well dressed older man, just think of those occasions where you have seen a smiling Italian gentlemen dressed exquisitely on the Sartorialist, simply perfection. The older generations of European men have certainly known how to put the younger generations to shame.

The Lord Chief Justice has a new funky gown. As I studied Law at University for four years I find this piece of news more interesting than I probably should do. After the first few weeks of lectures I was pretty sure that the legal profession wasn't right for me. Was the traditional and conservative style to blame? For 300 years the wig and gown have symbolised the authority of the court. All that will change in October, when judges in civil and family cases will ditch their horsehair wigs and instead be dressed by Betty Jackson. Jackson, a former designer of the year, worked for free as the design consultant for the new gown, in consultation with a panel of judges. The new robe has coloured bands to indicate seniority, with heads of the high court's four divisions and appeal court judges wearing gold bands and high court judges wearing red. Judges will no longer wear wing collars and bands for civil and family proceedings.

However, Not everyone is in favour of the change. Last year a public consultation found that the majority of barristers and members of the public found were in favour of keeping full legal dress in the higher courts. That raises the prospect of barristers wearing wigs but judges going wigless (which sounds quite funny put like that). Lawyers did not wear wigs until the 17th Century, previously they had to have short hair and a beard (a beard is always a good measure of a man).

What do you make of the law profression being dragged into the 21st Century? I personally would have preferred to see a beautifully tailored suit and of course a return to short hair and a beard!

Monday, 12 May 2008

During my weekend by the coast in sunny Westgate-on-sea I came across an interesting feature on Nicky Haslam in the Oberserver Woman magazine...(I had never heard of him before but apparently he is an interior designer to the rich and famous) it explores an interesting question, can a man of 67 shop on the high street and not look ridiculous?

Haslam is now 67 years old. Eleven years ago in the winter of 1997, he underwent a complete physical reinvention. His manifestation changed from a campish aristo seen in the middle ages to one inspired to 'pick the last vestige of youth from the stinking pit of old age.' He dyed his hair oily black and modelled himself on Liam Gallagher, replacing sober suits with battered combat pants, leather biker jackets and anaroks. Over the last decade Haslam has evolved his sartorial transformation, he is a style magpie as he has always 'aspired towards other people's looks.' If he likes what someone is wearing he accosts them in the street to ask them where they bought it. As long as you know what suits you (this is so, so important - something might look great on someone else but chances are they have a very different frame to yours), I think this is a fine way for men to shop - it makes clothes accessible. I rarely ask people where they bought something because I like finding things myself (...or after being gently nudged there by EJ and Susie).

So where is the style chameleon now? He has stopped dying his hair and allowed it to go grey (thank goodness) and he is shopping on the High Street. Haslam thinks men are served very well on the High Street and I certainly agree that things have improved significantly within the time that I've been spending money but there is still along way to go and many advancements to be made. Within the feature Haslam confesses an unforgivable thing...much worse than dying his hair...he has wardrobes crammed with 'Savile Row suits I've never worn...just got them made and then decided that I didn't like them' - this is pure poison to my ears and he should be punished. He prefers the 'disposable' suits of Topman which accommodate his changing fancies and mutated whims. I personally would like to see inside his wardrobe and see the types of bespoke suits he had made!

Haslam is a fan of recognising a great piece (wherever it might be found - currently he finds most of them on the High Street) and wearing it. As long as the piece is complimentary tot he person wanting it then there really isn't a problem. If however, the person is merely a magpie of style that has a nest full of shiny crap then of course there is a style problem. In this instance I can only judge on the editorial within the piece...but I would think it must be a little hit and miss with a chap like Haslam. His mantra that of 'it's rude to not try and look up-to-date' is certainly strange but in certain lights, kind of cool. A man of his age should know what looks good on him and his personal style should be pretty much there but of course he can be inspired by current trends. I recently went shopping with my Nan (who is 86 years old) and she needed a lightweight tote (she's not as strong as she used to be so can't lug her heavy leather bags as far anymore) and we ended walking out of H&M with the perfect one. There shouldn't be an age limit on entry to the high street, there should however be a warning sign that could read 'Think long and hard about your purchases, is it right for YOU?' but this sign should be ready by all ages!

If you are interested in the article and didn't get your hands on the Observer then you can read it online here

The man above captured by Facehunter wears short shorts...and by the looks of it slippers. it may be warm outside but this picture is a warning to you all, make sure you leave the house with some stylish clothes on. I do like the hair though.

Thursday, 8 May 2008

Rings seem to be the most popular type of men's jewellery. I suppose this is probably because by their nature they are normally quite plain and subdued (not that this is a necessity, but more showy rings seems to be left for the ladies). The only piece of jewellery that Steve wears, as he has said, is a plain silver band that I bought him once.

It was while I was searching for interesting men's rings that I came across Love2have. Pants name, but some really nice looking stuff. Forgive me if my choices are all variations on a theme, but hope you'll agree that it is a rather lovely theme.

While I think of it, a note for those who are ring averse and think that they'd be annoying to wear: I thought the exact same thing when I was given a ring for my 18th birthday, but by the time I'd worn it for a week it just felt wrong NOT to be wearing it... you get used to it surprisingly easily.

Monday, 5 May 2008

I really like Tatty Devine: bold, often funny designs that could be worn by a woman or a man. Many of their brooches could be used to liven up a suit or to add a bit of humour and interest to a more casual outfit.

The volume knob brooches above (£24 each) are pretty typical of their stuff- and who hasn't wished that a particularly noisy friend had one of these? I like how they come in such a wide range of colours too.

The special range they've done for the Gilbert and George exhibition at the de Young museum in San Fransisco is especially good. Attached to your jacket you could use this brooch as a subtle way to test out potential friends, perhaps? (and you could always pretend it's Morcambe and Wise!)Other bits I like:

One of the best known and much loved tailors Doug Hayward died recently and I found out whilst tucking into my Pepe's Breakfast Special (4 pieces of bread, three slices of bacon, two eggs, fries and beans), and reading the Guardian obituaries, I think this is pretty apt for the working class tailor.

Doug Hayward was one of the sartorial wizards to emerge in 1960s swinging London. From his tailoring premises at 95 Mount Street, Mayfair, he brought a new personality to the serious man's attire, instilling the traditional English style with a dash of Italian flair. Hayward's distinctive style was born from a working class childhood, watching his Dad transform from hardworking, week long grubby overalls metamorphosed on a Friday night into THE SUIT, which of course was perfectly pressed. Hayward advocated that a well cut suit can transform a man. He upheld the centuries old British tradition in which male style ascends, and transcends, classes.

His clients included included Michael Caine, Terence Stamp, Peter Sellers, Tony Bennett, John Gielgud, Rex Harrison and Michael Parkinson. When Roger Moore played James Bond, his suits were by Doug Hayward; as were Clint Eastwood's in many of his films. However, his clients weren't just celebrities, he also attracted City workers who wanted something different from Savile Row through his doors on Mount Street.

Hayward provided a model for Harry Pendel, the principal character in John Le Carré's Tailor Of Panama. In the book's acknowledgments, Le Carré writes: "Doug Hayward of Mount Street allowed me my first misty glimpse of Harry Pendel." (In the 2001 movie adaptation which starred Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush played the character).

I have been a fan of you for sometime, you first caught my attention when you were one third of the 'joke band turned quite good' that was Test Icicles, I even bought one of your t shirts. I liked the fact that on the band's split you were honest enough to say "we were never, ever that keen on the music. I understand that people liked it, but we personally, er, didn't." There was something about you that I liked, you were definitely the only person in the band who could actually sing but you also had stage presence and a great style. I think I first saw you in the pages of Dazed & Confused in a shoot within the doors of Bardens Bourdoir and you instantly captured my attention and imagination.

Now you are Lightspeed Champion and have a fans in both myself and EJ (who is going to see you tonight!). We would love to run an interview with you and go through your style references. There can be little doubt that you are heavily influenced by Weezer in your music but who influences your personal style, where do you shop? Stop posing in photos for the Facehunter (although it does brighten up the site from the usual dullness of under dressed, underage girls) and come do an interview with us at Style Salvage!

For those of you unfamiliar with Dev and his present musical guise Lightspeed Champion, check out the below performance where he is sporting an awesome combination of plaid, puffa and fur hat.

Sunday, 4 May 2008

Continuing the idea of men's jewellery, I thought that I'd look to the high street. Topman's pretty hit and miss when it comes to... well, everything I suppose, but jewellery in particular. Still, it's normally a pretty good place to pick up a cheap trinket or two to add interest to an outfit. The jewellery itself may not be an heirloom piece, but the price is normally right. I would normally wait for sales though, as stuff routinely is reduced to £1. The above necklace is currently selling for £8.

I'm going to be looking at some slightly more expensive, but still relatively reasonable, pieces tomorrow.

Hey EJ, I'm so pleased that you have set forth and begun to explore the (slightly dangerous) territory of men's jewellery. I rarely find myself excited by menswear jewellery...I'm very boring when it come down to it, I like simple pieces...very much like the solid silver ring which you bought me for my 21st (I think, I'm terrible when it comes to time) which still adorns the middle finger of my right hand and is the only piece of jewellery I constantly wear. I like the idea of sunglasses and jewellery, I saw a cool necklace made from four Aviator lenses...it looked damn cool and I would happily sport something similar. I'm old fashioned when it comes to men's jewellery but as always I'm interested by what you find and will listen (and ultimately follow, your suggestion). Keep up the good work partner...

Saturday, 3 May 2008

The regular readers out there might have noticed that I can be little impatient/lazy and this forces me to take short cuts in some of my exploits, but on the majority of occasions rather than being shoddy the fruits of my quick burst of labour usually work. It works here. Many bloggers out there have been far more proactive than me when it comes to posting about Hyeres...I personally love how Susie Bubble has posted on the event, her eyes are my eyes... of course the Sartorialistcaptures some great images as well; there were plenty of people to snap but some of his choices surprised but as always impressed me... being a French festival there were plenty of French bloggers there, the pick of the bunch being GaranceDoré, punky b and Cafe Mode. Without a further ado, here are my top 5 Hyeres moments:

1 - The Villa Noailles itself.

It is a beautifully modern building located on a mountain top with fabulous views of the city below. The drive up there might have been a little frightening (I rented a car, a nippy Citroen C3 - so I was the official driver of the event) but once there it was well worth it. The building, gardens and views are all breathtaking and it was the perfect place to chillax for most of the day reading Nico and a selection of other fashion magazines before wandering around the grounds and admiring the exhibitions.

The main garden where we sat, read and caught the sun

2 - Meeting the Sartorialist

OK - I admit it I didn't take this shot....I was far too scared to ask the great man for a photo - the image comes courtesy of A Shaded View.

After spending much of my time at the festival waiting to spot the Sart, I bumped into him at the party on the last night. He isn't at his most comfortable at parties, he certainly isn't a Facehunter, but we talked about his makeover post, why he wanted to do it and of course the furore which followed. He wanted to do it because, well he wanted to do it, his experience goes much further than taking snaps of people and the opportunity itself arose. He was a little surprised by the level of negativity on the post, it was the times that his readers had attacked him personally but he stood by what he wanted to do. You have to admire that. The overall feeling I took away after meeting him was that he knows what he wants and he stands by what he does and doesn't want to be pigeonholed by people- if they don't like it they don't have to read the blog.

3 - People watching

I'm afraid that much of my people watching was just that, watching...I didn't have the balls to ask for a photo. I think myself and Thomas from the Sunday Best need to sign up to Street Style Photography masterclasses. The most memorable person was a chap from Madrid who sported a clash of floral patterns...he certainly had the gaze of most of the people in and around the garden.

I really shouldn't like this in any capacity but I think under the sunshine of the South of France, the clash of florals worked for me.

The majority of people on show were well dressed, I saw quite a few pairs of the Pierre Hardy Hi tops which we featured back in November, a few pairs of Raf Simon shades, a few Slimane Dior Homme suit jackets but there was a lot of people dressed all in black or very casually...I'm making excuses for myself...I should have been more snap happy. I'm sorry readers!

4 - Melvin Sarkozy photography exhibition.

The images were quite astounding. The only negative was the room in which they were hung was pretty much a greenhouse, but as my eyes were melting I was happy that these photos were probably going to be the last things that I ever so (NB fortunately my eyes didn't actually melt). The photographs themselves are timeless, a masterclass of techniques and eye. Interestingly though, the man himself didn't see himself as a Fashion Photograper... he was interested in the clothing only for producing a powerful shot.

This was my pick of the fashion exhibitions. Lebon is a Hyeres graduate (but not a winner) and is a self taught designer who mixes the cultures of hip hop with more traditional notions of menswear. The room was full on wonderful pieces which I would welcome into my wardrobe... none more so that the bag shown below...

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Style Salvage is blog about how men could (and do) dress. Started back in June 2007, the blog aims to showcase emerging and established design talent alike. It features style commentary, 7 day style diaries, interviews with designers, journalists and shop owners mixed in with the occasional personal style shot.